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Today, I’d like to welcome C.R. Moss to the Spicy Butterfly Garden. She’s giving us the inside scoop on Sunset Temptations, her third book in Decadent Publishing’s 1NightStand line. The blurb and excerpt below have me more than intrigued. All I can say is that I can’t wait to read this one! 🙂 And look at that cover!

Give us the title and genre of your book and a quick 50 word or less tagline.

For roommates, Ivy and Kiran, everything is going great on their 1NS dates until a mistake one of them made comes back to haunt them. Will they make it through the dilemma or will they miss out on having their true desires granted?

Did you have any inspiration for this story or its characters?

A couple of years ago I went to a convention and met the lovely ladies of Decadent Publishing. While a group of us were sitting around and talking, information about Decadent’s 1NightStand line of books came up. The concept sounded interesting, and I told them I’d send in a story. I had already started on a book that I thought I’d target to a different publisher and their line, but I re-purposed it for the 1NS series. Thankfully, the first story, ‘Sunset Desires’ was accepted and from there followed ‘Sunset Seduction,’ the release I’m touting today: ‘Sunset Temptations’ and the fourth book ‘Sunset Heat’ is in the editing queue. The ‘Sunset’ series follows four female relatives on their dating adventures. I like sunsets. I live in the area my stories are set in. And after a trip up on the mountain, the storyline came to me.

I’ve actually heard quite a bit about this line at Decadent. I’m intrigued.

What was your favorite scene to write? Why?

Toward the end, when the sh!t hits the fan. Cause the suspense and ‘dark’ aspect of the story was something that resonated with me. I can’t say much more or else it’d spoil things. 😉

Are there any aspects of yourself in any of the characters in your book?

In this book, no. But in other books, yes, I’ve used aspects of myself. Though, in this book, it is set in the area I live in.

Give us an interesting and fun fact about your book and/or its characters.

Like I just mentioned, it’s set in the area I live in. It’s up at a resort on Mt. Charleston. The fun fact: Las Vegas has a ski resort. Yep, it sure does. The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort is up on Mt. Charleston.

I love Vegas and the surrounding area. It is so beautiful and different than the east coast. And thanks for the fun fact! I never knew that! Maybe now I can convince my husband to head back out there. He’s not a gambler, but he is a snowboarder, so that information might work!

As an author myself, I find one of the hardest parts to completing a story is coming up with a title that captures the true essence of the story. How do you come up with the title to your stories?

I normally have a title when I start working on the story and it’s usually based off my idea or the theme of the story. If I don’t have a title, then I pull it out from a phrase in the story or something a character has said.

Three words that would best describe you.

Funny; loyal; honest (though some would say ‘blunt’)

It’s not always easy to sugar-coat the truth! Blunt can be a good thing sometimes.

What was your most rewarding experience since becoming a published author?

Helping a couple of my close friends realize their dreams of becoming published as well.

What book (or books) are you reading now?

I’m currently reading The Thorn Birds. Not sure what I’ll open next… I’ve been considering re-reading some VC Andrews stories…

I read The Thorn Birds a long time. I stole it off my mother’s shelf when I was like fifteen or something. It was racy and scandalous for my age, but then again, no one knew I was reading it at the time! Oh how I love VC Andrews’ books! I may have to re-read one now that you mention it!

What is your writing process from beginning to end?

First thing I normally do is check email, then I’ll check Facebook. Next I’ll get to my writing projects. When I’m working on a story, I’ll reread and do editing on the parts I haven’t edited yet to catch myself up. I’ll make the font a color other than black to keep track of what I’ve already gone through. Then I’ll write the new material. If I’m starting a new project, I do an information dump and outline as much of the story that’s in my head first thing. Then I work off the outline, fleshing out all the ideas and stuff as per above. But then, when I’m really focused on a project, I tend to just plough through it and focus only on getting it done…staying up late writing, getting up early and getting back to the story, eating when I think I can get away from my ‘desk’ without ruining the flow… I say ‘desk’ because sometimes if it’s nice outside, I’ll grab my notebook and pen and either sit on my patio, or go to the pool, and write. The house and social life suffers, but I’m a slave to my art. 🙂

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?

I crochet. I can shoot. I’ve also been developing my ability to read tarot and communicate with spirit.

How is the tarot card reading coming along? I’m always a little gun-shy about that sort of stuff! 🙂

Do you have any tips or advice for authors trying to get published?

Learn the craft, from grammar to story building and everything in between. Adhere to the rules for a while. Once you do that, then you’ll understand how and when to break the rules and really let your creativity thrive. After learning the craft, start promoting yourself before the first story is picked up/published. And if you’re going the e-book route through e-book publishers, get two or three places under your belt right away. If you’re doing the independent route (or e-publisher even), perhaps finishing two or three books first before you send book one out to the world would be a good idea. This way you don’t have to rush in starting to build a back list and can space out the publications of the ones you already have done while you work on more. But on top of knowing about writing mechanics, learning about marketing and promotion and getting that going is just as important.

Great advice! The marketing and promoting can sometimes be the tougher end of the whole process.

Before you go, can you please provide us with a tantalizing snippet from your book? Squeee!!

* “You know you can always tap me.”
* “True. But don’t you want to change things up? Experience something, someone different for once?”
* “Yeah, that’s why I suggested finding a third for our arrangement. Spice up our routine.”
* “I’d be all for it, but considering neither of us has found said person yet, I’m going to take what I can get through this date my cousin set up for me.”
* “So am I.” He smiled, his straight, white teeth gleaming and his olive-toned skin shining in the golden glow of the afternoon sun. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna cramp your style. I have my own person to meet up at the lodge.”
* She loved her handsome, bisexual friend, and as long as he was on his own date, that meant he wouldn’t attempt to put the moves on hers. “Well, I guess it’s okay then. Get in the car. You can tell me all about whoever has invited you to the event on the way to pick up Seana.”
* “Technically I haven’t met him yet.”
* Processing his statement, she climbed into the driver’s seat. “What do you mean you haven’t met him yet?” She pulled out of their apartment complex and headed in the direction of her cousin’s place.
* Kiran’s gaze darted everywhere, never landing on her. “Um…. I signed up with 1Night Stand, and tonight’s my date, too.”
* Ivy stopped herself from slamming on the brakes. “Where did you get the money to pay for the service? Huh? I know you’re as broke as I am. We’ve lost our jobs. We’re losing our rental. If you had cash stashed somewhere, we could have used it for a new apartment lease. I know you want—”
* “You’re rambling.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I want a partner. You’ve always understood that.” Her roommate released her, shifted in his seat, then played with a frayed string on his jeans. “Most of the guys I’ve met are self-centered assholes who don’t have sense enough to treat their significant other right. I’d like to meet a nice man, for once. When I emailed Madame Evangeline at 1Night Stand and told her I was a friend of yours and Heather’s, she was happy to accommodate me. That’s why she arranged for my night to be the same one as yours and Seana’s.”
* “And the money?”
* Silence rolled thick from the other seat. Her instincts screamed trouble.
* “Kiran?”
* He cleared his throat. “Well….”
* She’d seen and heard this nervousness from him before. That time he’d gotten into a little trouble with some bad dudes. Could he have done so again? She shot a quick glance at him. His skin seemed on the pale side. Her sixth sense dinged. “Oh no. You didn’t.”

About C.R. Moss:

An eccentric and eclectic writer, C.R. Moss pens stories for the mainstream and erotic romance markets, giving readers Worlds of Possibilities. So what does she write? She writes stories from the light and sweet to the dark and deadly with varying degrees of sexual heat. Writing as C.R. Moss gives her and her muses the freedom to explore worlds of possibilities when it comes to love. Readers can find C.R. on her website, & if they click on LINKS, they’ll find links to her social media sites. http://crmoss.com/